Dr Neal Murphy’s research interests include the mechanical, fracture and fatigue characterization of a wide variety of materials as diverse as nano-toughened adhesives, fibre-reinforced composites, metals, and superhard cutting tool materials at a wide range of loading rates and temperatures. The research focuses on the so-called structure-property relationship of materials where an attempt is made to link a macroscopic property such as the fracture toughness to the processes which are taking place at a microstructural level. To gain insight into material behaviour inside the fracture process zone, extensive use is made of analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with computational models. More recent research has focused on the use of additive manufacturing for the development of novel materials and processes. Examples include the additive manufacturing of superhard (polycrystalline diamond) cutting tool materials with highly controlled microstructures, and the additive manufacturing of customized moulds for the fabrication of low volume, fibre reinforced composite components for a wide variety of applications. He has published over 60 journal articles, 5 book chapters and 95 conference presentations.